Politico
reports that NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions "steered a $1.6
million earmark for dirigible research to an Illinois company whose president
acknowledges having no experience in government contracting, let alone in building
blimps."
Lobbyist Adrian Plesha, a former Sessions aide with a criminal record, was
paid more than $446,000 for lobbying on behalf of the Illinois company. Exclusive: Earmark critic steered cash
to blimp, former aide, The Politico, 7/30/09

Steve
Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group that
tracks earmarks said, "This underscores that the lack of
accountability undercuts transparency in earmarks. Right now it is all
self-policing and there is no punishment for fudging the facts or
obfuscating the details. We find
all kinds of shenanigans: lawmakers laundering the true beneficiary behind
government agencies, listing the prime contractor as the beneficiary when
it is really a local subcontractor or, in this case listing an address
that has little to do with the true earmark recipient." [Lawmakers'
Honor Required in Reporting Earmark Details, CQ, 7/30/09]